Disabled senior needed help with bills

SARASOTA — Sharon Briggs of North Port is a disabled senior who has been battling extreme lung complications and various other physical problems for years. When her daughter recently broke her back on the job, Briggs took her in and attempted to use her monthly disability checks to support her.

Sharon Briggs of North Port ran short of money during the holidays, and Season of Sharing funds helped her get by. (Photo by Abby Weingarten)

The financial strain proved to be too intense for Briggs to handle on her own, so she pursued Season of Sharing funds through the Senior Friendship Centers, which carried her through the holiday season and into February.

"The culmination of bills mount by the end of the year and are magnified at the holidays and around the New Year," says David Blehar, SFC's chief financial officer. "The added stress of diminished resources can be offset with the historic time for giving and sharing."

Because Briggs has Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in her lungs, she has been receiving disability benefits since 2006. The SCF funds Briggs was given during the holidays paid for her electric bill.

"I used to have attacks with my lungs several times a day, and sometimes every day, and I couldn't get out of bed. I caught the flu in February of last year, and for five weeks, I couldn't move because every time I moved I coughed. I have arthritis throughout all of my bones and to cough was unbearable," Briggs says. "Before I was on disability, I was an assistant manager for Walmart for 14 years and I fell from a 17-foot ladder and broke everything. It took me a lot of years to be able to walk. So I have a lot I'm dealing with."

Having a disabled daughter is one of Briggs' biggest hardships, considering Briggs only receives $1,272 from her government check each month. The mother and daughter share a two-bedroom apartment through the affordable housing initiative, and they live from check to check. Briggs' breathing equipment eats up the electric costs. Her car does not have brakes. She sometimes is forced to overdraft money from her checking account just to cover her monthly bills, she says.

"Senior Friendship Centers has helped me during the holidays and during the year. They have given us food cards for Publix when we needed food. They're a gift from God, and anybody who is anywhere near the condition I'm in should know that they are there and that they have angels working for them," Briggs says. "I am so grateful to the people who work in that office. They are my guardian angels."

SEASON OF SHARING

Season of Sharing provides emergency funding to individuals and families in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties — money, for example, to help with rent, an electric bill or child care.

Every dollar donated goes to people in need. There are no administrative fees and no red tape. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County allocates Season of Sharing donations to 13 area agencies, although more than 50 agencies can receive funds on behalf of clients.

HOW TO HELP

Donations to the Season of Sharing fund may be made by check or credit card. Make checks payable to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Attn. Season of Sharing, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237. Donations are also accepted online at cfsarasota.org.

Contact the foundation at (941) 556-2399 for more information or to request a credit card form. All donations are tax deductible.

Last modified: February 7, 2014
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published without permissions. Links are encouraged.